NH Fish & Game: Divers recovered the body of a missing kayaker in the Squamscott River in the area of the Newfields/Stratham town line Tuesday, June 25, 2013 about 11:30 a.m. The victim has been identified as Ann Colcord of North Hampton, N.H., age 59. Her body was discovered not far from her kayak, which was approximately 0.2 mile downriver from the Chapman’s Landing boat access site on Route 108 in Stratham, N.H. She was found in water that was about ten feet deep at low tide.
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Dive Team members, along with Marine Patrol personnel using their side-scan sonar device, had begun a systematic grid search of the area early this morning. Divers were hampered by tidal conditions and zero visibility.
Colcord had been reported missing to the North Hampton Police about 9:00 p.m. on Monday, June 24, 2013, after she had not returned home as expected. A police broadcast was put out for her vehicle, which was located at the Chapman’s Landing boat ramp. The vehicle was unoccupied, and the kayak was missing.
Stratham Police then organized a search effort, assisted by Newfields Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and fire department personnel from Stratham, Exeter, Newfields and Newmarket. Five boats were utilized in the initial search effort. Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and N.H. Marine Patrol officers were called in to join the search effort at about11:15 p.m. last night.
At 11:32 p.m., Newfields Fire Department personnel located the capsized kayak. At 1:30 a.m. this morning, a N.H. State Police helicopter searched the area utilizing FLIR (forward looking infra red) and night vision equipment. The search effort continued throughout the night.
An autopsy will be conducted by the New Hampshire State Medical Examiner’s Office.